Landlords – be aware

It seems unlikely that any private landlord will not be aware that on 01 May 2026 the Renters Rights Act 2026 comes into force.

Whilst not all of the provisions of the new legislation become law straightaway, there are some significant changes as of that date. These changes range from what a tenancy will now be, through to changes in how rent increases can be done, through to the process for possession.

Perhaps the biggest change is the switch from assured short hold tenancies to assured periodic tenancies. In simple terms this means that the vast majority of residential tenancy agreements will not have a fixed term, and will instead be on a rolling (usually month by month) basis until such time as either the landlord, or the tenant decides to bring the tenancy to an end. All existing assured short hold tenancies will automatically become an assured periodic tenancy as of 01 May 2026. In fact, many existing tenancy agreements will already be rolling periodic tenancies having already come to the end of their initial fixed term and continuing on that basis.

There are new controls in relation to rent increases. Landlords must now follow the procedure in section 13 and use form 4a. It has always been good recommended practice to use that form, but many landlord previously did not do so. Other changes to rent include a restriction on how frequently the rent can be increased – only once every 12 months, and restrictions on what the level of increase can be in line with market factors.

The change which has grabbed most of the headlines is the abolition of section 21 no fault evictions, which will make it a little bit more difficult for landlords to regain possession. However, there are new grounds under section 8, including the long needed ground that a landlord needs to sell the property. There have been increases in notice periods and the level of rent arrears that are required.

If you have already served a section 21 notice before the changes you must issue court proceedings before 31 July 2026 otherwise you will no longer be able to rely on the notice and will have to start the possession process again under the new legislation.

If your property is managed for you by a rental agency, then they should be well ahead of these changes and will no doubt already advised you what needs to be done.

If you are managing the property yourself it is vitally important that you make yourself fully aware of the new legislation and the changes as they affect you.

Landlords may find this government webpage helpful https://mhclgmedia.blog.gov.uk/2026/03/20/%F0%9F%9B%8E%EF%B8%8F-landlords-here-are-6-ways-to-get-yourself-ready-for-new-renters-rights/

And whatever you do, make sure that you give your tenant the Renters Rights Information Sheet 2026 by no later than 31 May 2026 or you could face a substantial fine.

Hopefully, your tenancy will continue smoothly and with few if any hiccups along the way. But unfortunately, that is not always the case and sometimes tenancies have to be brought to an end and landlords need to seek possession of the property. Our specialist landlord service is available to assist you with that process. We offer help and advice from the beginning to the end of the eviction process, with agreed fixed fees and transparent costs. We have broken down the possession process into set stages to which an agreed fixed fee applies, so that you can be fully in control of your legal spend and decide at which stages you require our help.

With help and assistance available from any of our conveniently located high street offices, please contact Andrew Marsden on 01924 473065, or use the contact us feature on our website.